


Plane Pals

by blynninja



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Airplanes, F/M, Gen, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-03-04 21:50:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18821425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blynninja/pseuds/blynninja
Summary: Yona meets a little girl on an airplane and keeps her entertained. Hak helps a little. A friendship is born.





	Plane Pals

**Author's Note:**

> IDK titles y'all.
> 
> I started this in like March when I began planning a trip to California with my dad to see family. I had been thinking about what I would do if a little kid were crying or whatever, and this fic turned into like five pages.  
> I've never been to Disney, but I've browsed their shop at the Mall of America (came home with a tiny Eeyore and a little Marie from Aristocats) and I live vicariously through my friends who go and post pics. Someday.

Planes were definitely not her favorite method of travel, Yona had decided over the years.

She’d flown several times throughout her life, and every time, taking off and landing made her anxious and sick to her stomach.

So when they ended up on a plane next to a little girl whose mother was trying to calm the fussing baby brother in her arms across the aisle, Yona took notice.

No one offered to trade seats so that the little girl could be closer to her mother, so Yona struck up a conversation.

“Hi! My name is Yona. What’s yours?”

The little girl blinked at her, confused, and then glanced to her mother, who was still distracted with the baby.

“A-Akane,” she began hesitantly, staring at Yona’s outstretched hand.

“What a pretty name, Akane!” Yona trilled, smiling. “How old are you?”

“Six,” Akane replied, holding up six fingers.

Yona beamed at her, continuing, “Is that your mama over there?”

“And my baby brother,” Akane offered, less hesitant.

“I don’t have any brothers or sisters,” Yona informed her new friend, frowning. “Do you like having a baby brother?”

Akane shrugged, glancing across the aisle. “Sometimes he’s loud.”

Yona nodded sympathetically. “Yes, babies cry sometimes, huh?”

The plane began to leave the gate, and Yona froze, dreading the next few minutes.

Akane had taken on a similar nervous look, squirming in her seat and trying to reach for her mother, but the baby’s wailing drowned out the little girl’s requests for her mother.

“Would you like to hold my hand, Akane?” Yona asked, holding her hand out again.

Akane blinked at her with big, nervous eyes, and Yona smiled.

“I don’t like airplane rides very much, either. Sometimes it helps to hold someone’s hand.”

Akane glanced beyond Yona, and then back at her hand, as though weighing her options.

“It’s okay, she won’t bite you,” Hak said from her other side, and Akane stared.

“Who’s that?” she whispered loudly, pointing, and Yona laughed.

“That’s Hak. He’s my fiancé.”

“Husband, actually, as of a few hours ago,” he reminded her patiently, and Yona flushed.

“I’m still getting used to saying we’re married. Yes, my _husband_. Hak, this is Akane. Her mama is across the aisle, and nobody traded seats with them.”

“Ah,” Hak acknowledged, reaching over to pat Akane on the head. “Nice to meet you.”

“Are you on your _honeymoon_?” Akane asked, eyes wide and bright. Her grip tightened as the plane began to take off, but Yona didn’t mind.

“Yes, we are! We’re going to California!” Yona chirped, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment as the plane kept moving.

“Are you going to Disneyland?” Akane asked, eyes wide. “Mama said I can go to Disneyland when Katsuro is old enough, too.”

Yona glanced at Hak for a moment before turning her attention back to Akane, smiling. “Yes, we _are_ going to spend a couple of days at Disneyland! Who is your favorite Disney character, Akane?”

“Tinkerbell!” Akane replied without hesitation, her grin bright, and Yona smiled.

“Tinkerbell is a good one! My favorite is Mulan,” Yona replied, glancing across the aisle at Akane’s mother, who was smiling wearily, obviously grateful for Yona’s help in keeping the little girl busy.

“Mulan is cool!” Akane agreed, raising the arm not holding Yona’s hand to imitate the heroine.

Yona grinned, and Hak tapped her on the shoulder, offering a coloring book.

“Oh! Akane, do you like to color?” Yona asked, taking the book and letting Hak hold out the box of crayons he’d shoved into his backpack.

Akane’s eyes went wide and she reached for the book, asking, “Can I?”

“Of course!” Yona replied, smiling. “I always bring some coloring books with me when I might have a long time to wait, like car rides or doctor visits. This one is brand new, so you can color any page you want!”

Akane glanced back toward her mother for a moment, hesitant, but her mother smiled encouragingly at her, offering, “Thank you!”

Akane beamed and immediately dropped her tray table, letting go of Yona’s hand to gleefully take the box of crayons from Hak, who grinned.

The rest of the flight went quite smoothly, with Akane coloring every page she chose in its entirety, occasionally making comments about the characters or asking Yona what she might do at Disneyland.

When the plane began to descend into San Francisco, Yona almost didn’t even notice the discomfort of landing, busy helping Akane pack up her coloring things and discussing talking animals.

When Akane’s mother stood to retrieve her things from the overhead compartment, Hak beat her to it, offering to help carry one of the heavier bags until they reached the baggage carousel.

Yona offered Akane her hand again and was glad to see her take it immediately, a grin on her little face as she chattered happily about going to visit her grandparents, who were supposed to meet them by where they would pick up their luggage.

She didn’t let go of Yona’s hand until Hak had pulled their suitcases from the carousel and Akane’s grandmother came to meet them. Akane ran to her grandmother, chattering happily about coloring on the plane and talking to Yona about Disney princesses.

The young mother stepped over to Yona then, tears glistening in her eyes as she said, “Thank you so much for entertaining her! Katsuro needs so much attention, too, and it’s difficult to travel with them both by myself. My husband had to change his flight to tomorrow because of work or he would have helped me with them. I am so grateful that you kept Akane entertained that whole flight! It means so much.”

Yona smiled kindly, assuring her, “I remember being little like that and hating plane rides. I just did for Akane what my mother always did for me, and what she hoped someone else would have done if she couldn’t.”

Akane’s mother blinked at that, and then wrapped Yona in a careful one-armed hug, laughing as Katsuro giggled and reached for Yona’s hair.

“It was no trouble, really,” Yona insisted, tickling the baby’s toes. “I hope you have a wonderful visit with your parents, and an easier flight home!”

“I’m sure we will,” Akane’s mother replied, smiling. “And I hope you enjoy your honeymoon! Give Tinkerbell a hug for Akane, would you?”

“Of course!” Yona beamed, smiling at the little girl, who stepped over as she heard her name.

“Mama? Is it time to go to Grandma’s now?”

“Yes, sweetie, we should go to Grandma’s house. Can you say goodbye to your new friends?”

Akane grinned and launched herself into Yona’s arms, giggling. “Thanks for letting me color! Have fun seeing Mulan!”

Yona shifted a bit to hug Akane better and grinned. “I will! Have fun with your grandparents, Akane! It was nice to meet you!”

“Will we ever color together again?” Akane asked, frowning a little, and Yona paused, glancing at Akane’s mother.

Hak crouched down to look Akane in the eye, pulling a business card from his wallet. “Tell you what, kiddo. If you are ever near where we live, your mom or dad can call or email me and you can come color with us again, deal?”

Akane’s eyes went wide again and she took the card carefully, offering it to her mother almost reverently. “Deal!”

Hak held out a hand and Akane took it eagerly, sealing the deal with a handshake and a grin that rivalled Hak’s.

Akane tugged at her mother’s purse for a moment, trading Hak’s business card for another, offering it to him with a flourish.

“This is where my daddy works! If you come visit, maybe we can play!”

Hak took the business card with a blink, and then grinned, shaking on it again. “You got it, kid.”

Akane beamed as she ran back to her grandmother, beckoning her mother, who thanked them one last time and turned to join her mother in juggling children and baggage out to their waiting ride.

Yona sighed as she watched them go, smiling up at Hak as he pressed the business card into her hand.

“I can see the gears turning in your head already,” he said knowingly, resting an arm around her shoulders. “You want to get her something at Disney, don’t you?”

“She was just so _sweet_!” Yona insisted, clutching his wrist as they headed for the rental counter. “I think she’d love a little Tinkerbell or something, don’t you?”

Hak shrugged noncommittally, but Yona knew he’d let her buy the perfect gift when they saw it. She grinned up at him as he untangled their arms so he could get into line at the rental counter.

“I’m so glad you married me,” she smiled, catching his hand before he got too far. “Happy honeymoon, Hak.”

Hak rolled his eyes affectionately, planting a kiss on her hair before he slid from her grasp and got into line for car keys.

\--

A week or so after their honeymoon, they received an email with the simplest of subject lines: “Akane & Katsuro say thank you!”

Attached was a photograph of the little girl with the Tinkerbell doll they’d found, along with her brother wearing a t-shirt featuring Nick Wilde the grinning fox.

Hak printed and framed the photo, and Yona insisted a copy make it into their wedding scrapbook.

A package showed up a few months later with a return address that matched Akane’s father’s workplace, and Yona nearly cried when she opened it, touched that they had remembered.

Within the box was a Tinkerbell-themed coffee mug bearing the inscription “She leaves a little sparkle wherever she goes,” as well as a tote bag featuring Mulan that someone had personalized with Yona’s name.

The family had also included a separate boxed gift for Hak, which Yona presented to him when he got home from work, nearly bouncing off the walls in her anticipation.

It turned out, to Hak’s chagrin, to be a travel mug featuring a silhouette of Li Shang and the Emperor’s quote about not meeting a girl like that every dynasty. Inside the mug was a small piece of art depicting the moment Mushu declared Crikee a “lucky bug.”

Yona laughed for a solid five minutes while Hak just raised an eyebrow at her and laid the artwork on the table under some books to flatten it.

“That’s going in your office for sure,” Yona decided for him, grinning as she finally stopped giggling.

“Yeah, whatever,” Hak replied, ruffling her hair as he headed for the kitchen.

Yona glanced at the photo of Akane and Katsuro in its prominent place on their stairwell wall, the best conversation started she could have ever asked for.

To think that a random act of kindness on a plane would have led to a growing pen-pal-ship with a family halfway across the country…

That friendship was the best wedding gift she could have received, Yona had decided. And all because a little girl had needed a little distraction on a plane ride.

**Author's Note:**

> I hate take-off and landing. They're too much like a rollercoaster and make me queasy.
> 
> Akane: Means "rubia plant, dye from the rubia plant, deep red", from a Japanese kun reading of qiān.  
> (I just liked the name, I guess. No special reason for the meaning. What six-year-old wouldn't like Tinkerbell though?)
> 
> Katsuro: From Japanese 勝 (katsu) meaning "victory" and 郎 (rou) meaning "son". Different kanji characters can combine to form this name as well.  
> (This one I grabbed because of its meaning. Fun fact, "Nicholas" also means something like "victory" so that's part of why Nick Wilde for baby Katsuro!)
> 
> I feel like Yona would love Mulan, but I also felt like the Tink quote was appropriate for this plot, and I couldn't not give Hak a related gift, too!
> 
> IDK where these people all live. Layovers exist. Whatever.


End file.
